#i'm not ready for my 9-1-1 era to begin again

[userautumn]

damn we got 9-1-1 family feud today

[tin-wufborf]

Tin's Favorite Sterek Fics (Part 12)

Hello party people, and welcome to part 12! This installment is brought to you by my summer cold because there's nothing quite like having a cold when it's been 100+ degrees all weekend!

Again, thank you all for all of the support you've shown this series. Before we move forward, I just want to give you all a little heads up that we are now entering my "anti-Scott McCall" era (which I have yet to leave, tbh; I just read less Bad Friend Scott McCall fics than I used to). There aren't a ton of them on the list, but there's enough of them that I feel like a warning is a good idea, and I know there will be more moving forward. Okay? Okay.

No more rambling on for me. I'm working against the clock in terms of when my sinus pressure kicks in for the day, and I want to get this out sooner rather than later so I can get back to simulated trucking.

Smoochies and squeezies!

List and links to previous/next part(s) below.

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DISCLAIMER: This is me warning you all that some of the fics I've included in this list may cover explicit, dark, and/or "taboo" subject matters. I cannot express enough how little I care what anyone thinks about any of that; all I want is for you to use caution when reading anything I've listed here and to please review and heed whatever tags the authors have provided in order to keep yourselves safe. Your experience from this point on is your own responsibility, not mine and not the authors'.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17

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You and the Night by Hyperion327 (E | 1/1 | 9,634)

Stiles has a secret. Ever since he was ten, there's been... someone who appears in his night from time to time, someone with glowing gold eyes that no human being could ever have. His shadow has been there for years, keeping watch in the darkness. He should be scared, should have told his sheriff father about the intruder from the beginning, but he can't. Not when the shadow has been the one who's comforted him on the lonely nights. Even if he can't see him, he knows one thing for sure: He trusts him absolutely.

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Oblivious Misadventures, and Other Such Tales by Little Spoon (JaydenNara) (M | 6/6 | 11,240)

Going to college was exciting and new, a chance for new friends and a fresh start, and the best part was, there was a supernatural fraternity on campus, meaning Scott finally had the freedom to be himself.

Then he met the resident human who came with a stalker alpha. What was the point of a supernatural fraternity if he still had to pretend to be human. And seriously, did Stiles ever fall asleep somewhere normal?

--

(aka - Five TImes Scott Found Derek and Stiles Sleeping, and the One Time He Didn't)

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Theory of Overprotective Canines by reosepetals42 (T | 1/1 | 11,798)

Stiles is totally looking forward to living alone in his super cool apartment off-campus. He is. He is also very excited to bike to school every day, ready to set up an awesome game room, and definitely over his crush on Derek Hale. Completely over it.

Or at least he is until Derek decides he's moving in with him. And then turns out to be the perfect roommate. And then starts attending all his classes. As a wolf.

This is not going according to plan.

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Throw Me to the Wolves by skoosiepants (T | 1/1 | 13,493)

He feels the physical embodiment of devastated, his already too strung-out mind struggling to wall up all the hurt, the rejection—he takes a deep shuddering breath and looks down at the shredded skin on his arms, at the sluggish way they’re weakly healing.

There is nothing, nothing he wants more than to have Derek sweep in and make everything all better. He should have known, though, that something like that would never happen to him.

OR -

Stiles accidentally gets bitten, and everything goes to hell.

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Where We Belong by thecheekydragon (E | 1/1 | 16,548)

Derek rescues a little werewolf girl and takes on the responsibility of caring for her. Stiles helps.

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And The Moon Shined A Little Brighter by LuneFaitLaFolie (T | 1/1 | 17,952)

It’s not in the same spot, it’s over his left shoulder blade, almost like it’s over the back of his heart, but it’s just as big. It isn’t black either, so it also doesn’t match any of his other rune tattoos, which Stiles can say with confidence without looking, are either black or blue. No, it’s a deep red, the same colour as Derek’s alpha eyes.

It is though, a huge ass matching triskelion permanently on his body, and he has no clue how the fuck to tell Derek about it.

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Safe Place to Land by Green (T | 1/1 | 19,298)

The Hales have been tracking a group of hunters who've targeted small packs with the help of a magic user. When they finally attack the hunter compound, they aren't expecting to find Stiles, a Spark who's practically a slave, and his young werewolf son. Derek isn't expecting the Spark to be his mate, either.

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Foolish devouring things, build your castle in me by LunaCanisLupus_22 (E | 1/1 | 23,181)

“I will marry you,” he declares. “But should any more harm come to my father or my people, I will raze the earth itself until I feel the lifeblood drain from your corpse and paint my skin with it.”

It is not an idle warning, but from the princeling it has none of the desired effect. Derek feels no fear, but in this instance at least diplomacy triumphed over the spilling of more blood. It is all the same to him anyway. But Regent Peter was most insistent they avoid a drawn-out, gruelling war.

“Then we have reached an accord.”

Or the barbarian sterek war AU that nobody asked for.

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She Walks in Beauty series by breakaway71 (2 works | G-T | 29,144)

1. Innocence (G | 1/1 | 964) Claudia wonders, sometimes. 2. All That's Best of Dark and Bright (T | 1/1 | 28,180) It's not a gender identity crisis if you've known all along what the problem is. If you've been purposely trying to ignore it since you were old enough to consciously make that choice. But what happens after that, when you finally learn how to let go?

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No Rest For The Wicked (Love is Kind) by midnightcas (G | 11/11 | 31,328)

When a homeless, scared for his life, kid attempts to hold up Stiles Stilinski's bakery, the last thing he expected was to be offered a muffin...or a job. . . . "I have a feeling that you don’t want to be a felon on the run from the cops your whole life. Especially over such a stupid thing like robbing a bakery. Murder I’d get, but this?”

“Well," his eyes fall to the gun, "I might murder you.”

Stiles swallowed.

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The Accidental Hale Brood by Julibean19 (M | 1/1 | 42,370)

“I know, I just…” Derek trailed off, rubbing his forehead with both hands, frustrated that the right words weren’t coming to him.

“What?” Stiles asked honestly, pulling on one of Derek’s wrists until he could see his expression again.

Derek’s heart pounded in his chest so loud he figured even Stiles could hear it. He inhaled deeply and let the air out slowly through his nose, trying to keep his voice even. “When we take them places, and spend time with them, and make them smile… it feels like…”

“It feels like they’re yours,” Stiles finished for him, licking his lips before snagging the bottom one between his teeth.

“No,” Derek said, taking Stiles by surprise. “It feels like they’re ours.”

“Oh,” Stiles said simply, mouth still slightly open while he contemplated Derek’s words.

Or, the one in which Stiles and Derek have been BCPD partners for years when they are assigned Halloween duty and run into a couple of kids from the orphanage. One fake marriage and two real adoptions later, they somehow become a family.

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Ain't no rest for the wicked by MBlack93 (E | 8/8 | 46,463)

''What the hell happened, Stiles?!'' He hisses.

Stiles tries not to flinch from his dad's tone, but he fails miserably.

''I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I - I woke up and everything in my room was in flames, even the bed, dad, I - I don't know what is happening.''

As soon as he said it, his dad's face closes off.

''You're telling me that you don't know? You didn't remember? Is it possible that you're - you're poss-''

''NO! No, no! No! It can't be. It just can't.''

''But you don't remember Stiles. You don't know what happened.'' His dad remembers him. His eyes are boring into Stiles's.

Stiles falters because no, he doesn't remember, he doesn't know what is happening, but the Nogitsune is gone, he saw it happening, he knows it's gone. He can't be possessed any more.

''Dad-'' before he can finish his sentence, his dad lets out a weary sigh. And a sob escapes his dad when he looks at the burning house.

''I - I don't know if I can deal with this son.'' His dad confesses. And - and that's it. Stiles stops doing anything for a moment until a sob escapes him, and he can feel his heart break into a million pieces.

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I'll be right back (in 24 years) by AnaIsFangirling (Ana_K_Lee) (T | 35/35 | 48,190)

When Derek thought about time travel – and he did, a lot – this was not what he'd had in mind. He'd thought he would see his younger self, tell him to leave Paige alone and NEVER trust Kate Argent. He'd thought he’d get to come back once that was done and everything would be perfect. He never imagined having to relive his entire life.

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Those Are The Days That Bind Us series by s_a_m (3 works | T-M | 63,389)

The series follows Stiles as he struggles to deal with the trauma, heartbreak and betrayals that cause him to run away from Beacon Hills, and the adventures that come during his time away.

[Subsequent parts are in progress and will be posted upon completion.]

1. Those Are The Days That Bind Us (M | 5/5 | 52,171) His father wasn’t stupid. He was an officer of the law, trained to look for patterns. He confronted Stiles about werewolves and they shouted and Stiles tried to explain but his father was so, so, so mad, more mad than Stiles had ever seen him, ever in all his life and then his father looked at him and said, “It’s like you’re not my son anymore.” And Stiles broke. 2. You Have One New Message (T | 1/1 | 5,093) A flash in the corner of John’s eye caught his attention. The home phone had a message. He hit play. ‘You have one new message.’ “Uh, hey Dad. It’s uh, its Stiles.” 3. Himmelfahrtskommando (M | 1/1 | 6,125) She can’t help but laughing at the growing knowledge that her whole life has likely just been one long suicide mission.

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stuck in reverse by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli) (E | 1/1 | 65,656)

Look, Derek is the worst. Everyone knows that. Their fearless leader is a total and complete failwolf.

Which means the rest of them? Are kind of the worst too. They’re a ramshackle, slap dashed, sorry excuse for a pack that’s about a half second away from getting one of them killed. And this is a problem, because Stiles would really like to survive high school. Thanks.

Still, nobody deserves what Derek has gone through. Nobody.

And it’s about time somebody told him that.

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Just the Same by foxlavender (G | 7/7 | 68,066)

Something is seriously up with the captain of the lacrosse team. There's just no way Derek Hale is human. *** “I was wondering if you're even human. You move so quickly. I mean, it's ridiculously fast. No human should be able to move that fast, y'know? It's unfair for us. I mean, it's obvious you work out, and I don't, so that could be why, but like...I was just wondering if you were human, that's all.”

“Stop talking, Stilinski, or I'll—”

“Put me on the bench all season?” Stiles asks knowing full well that Derek Hale can't threaten him with shit.

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The Fox & The Wolf by Dextrous_Sinistrous (E | 10/10 | 79,151)

The war between the fox and wolf clans has raged for centuries, ignited in a time before anyone can remember. Now both clans—tired of the bloodshed and hate—are searching for a way to end the war.

Crowned prince Stiles Stilinski—heir to the fox clan—has agreed with his father to meet with the Hales, the ruling royal family over the wolf clan. Under the counseling of the Druids, both clans are presented with a solution to the war: unite the Stilinski and Hale clans through marriage. To quell their people's anger, both Stiles and Derek—eldest living Hale Alpha—are urged to accept the other as an equal; as their mate.

For the sake of their people, both houses make the ultimate sacrifice by choosing duty over love. But, out of what was first assumed to be compromised, quickly turns to be a better match than either could have hoped for. But not all is easy for either clan, as some members refuse to believe that the war could end so easily.

[Update: I'm stating here, because some people aren't reading the author note at the beginning, this story was inspired by/based on Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Hawksong]

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Didn't See That Coming by knittersrevolt (E | 43/43 | 83,838)

Stiles leaves Beacon Hills in the dust after he catches his husband cheating on him.

He finds his way to New York where he starts working for the Hale House Nursery, accidentally adopts a werewolf baby (through no fault of his own thank-you-very-much), and somehow starts training to be an Exorcist Emissary. So, in general, life was going good.

Then he hears that demons have found their way into his hometown. Can he face his inner demons and go back to save the day?

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I know that you love me, even when I lose my head by LunaCanisLupus_22 (E | 13/13 | 135,585)

“We’re not mates, Cora,” he insists. “I mean look at him-“

“Ouch,” the kid says, no longer pushing that shit eating grin.

“He’s- he’s,” Derek tries, at a loss of how to explain why this can’t be possible. Why it shouldn’t be possible.

Or the one where Derek gets attacked by hunters, ends up with amnesia and forgets Stiles is his mate

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Manipulated by DearDaisy (Scribblesnpaws) (M | 30/30 | 221,251)

Nine years ago, Scott kicked Stiles out of the pack. Stiles left and never returned. But now his dad has been hurt, so Stiles returns to take care of him. No one knows the truth of what happened back then, not even Scott or Stiles. But that's about to change.

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[idiosinkrasies]

Comparing MatchaBlossom and the song Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Boys Town Gang

So gonna start this off by saying I've listened to this song for the past 45 minutes give or take, and have watched sk8 about 19 times all the way through so I have absolute authority when it comes to this (in other words: this is mostly fanon interpretation based on the idea that Joe and Cherry are in a romantic relationship in the current timeline)

Intro

We start the song with an iconic instrumental of piano and strings (keep those instruments in mind, they play a role later), that is led into a funky beat with drums and keyboard and bass. Throughout the song you hear the piano and strings as the base for the entire song. Now I'm choosing to interpret this as Joe (piano) and Cherry (strings) meeting and forming a friend group when they were young children.

Lyrics

The lyrics don't start until 1:28, so before this is what I'm calling the Before-Adam-Era (BAE) which is a time where Joe and Cherry don't have to hide behind metaphors and vague ideas and can just be open about themselves. But when the lyrics kick in, there's a distinct lack of strings at first, only piano playing over the words "You're just to good to be true, can't take my eyes off you..." etc, this is Joe speaking to himself about Cherry, realizing his romantic feelings about him.

In the next part we hear the strings come in, significantly louder than the piano, though the piano is still audible. This is when Cherry starts to fall for Adam, he's voicing his feelings for Adam to Adam, while Joe pines in the background. There are direct parallels between the lyrics and Cherry's actual thoughts of Adam during this time in the show.

"Pardon the way that I stare // There's nothing else to compare // The thought of you leaves me weak // There are no words left to speak." - Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Everyday felt like a festival. Everyone was enchanted by you. And you pulled us along. And we forgot about time." - Cherry, Sk8 Ep 9

Bridge

Next comes the iconic bridge that has no piano or stings. So what does that mean? I think that this part of the song switches away from matchablossom and instead focuses on Adam's obsession with finding his Eve and completely ruining his relationship with Cherry and Joe and fucking off to America.

Second Verse + Second Bridge

This verse starts out heavy on the strings, but very minimal and soft piano, which is the years that Joe spends in Italy while Cherry finally realizes his feelings for Joe. And when Joe returns from Italy, Cherry is finally ready to tell Joe about them, which he does during the second bridge which has a beautiful build up of strings until they're playing high and mighty which leads into a instrumental break that includes both piano and strings. This showcases their building relationship, though the piano is slightly more hesitant than the stings, it gets more confidence as they play together with the rest of the band.

Instrumental Bridge

Once the beginning of the instrumental fades into the bridge again (this time with no lyrics to accompany it) Joe and Cherry are well into something that toes the line between romantic and platonic, but when the bridge hits, that's the beginning of the show, and there's more of a focus on the strings from around 5:20-6:09 when there's yet another bridge (!) this time with lyrics again. The times that I pointed out though are significant because they represent the inner turmoil that Cherry was going through with the return of Adam and, subsequently, the grudge he held against him. The time after the strings cut out but before the lyrics come in is when Cherry is hit with Adam's skateboard and is hospitalized. But the lyrics then kick in with the same soft strings as the last lyric'd bridge, showcasing Cherry admitting that he wants to be with Joe.

Outro

The next thing you hear when the lyrics stop is the same "duet" between the piano and the strings, both of them strong and confident in their feelings and the relationship. Soon the other instruments fade and you're left with just the strings and piano playing alone together. But there's still so much passion in the playing and the way they sound together. And then you get just the piano playing for a second, which is like the scene at the end of episode 9 where Joe tells Cherry they're not alone because they have each other. And then there's a drum fill that leads us back into the grand and funky music that has been playing for most of the song before it fades out entirely.

All in all, I think this song perfectly sums up matchablossom's relationship with one another and their feelings (in fanon) thank you.

[farizrz]

(SPOILER ALERT) Theodora

Interview with Arina. Thanks for @somin-yin for original link of Interview

Hi, Arina!

Congratulations on the season 1 finale and the beginning of the new one! Thank you so much for "Theodora", for giving us the opportunity to get together in such a cozy corner dedicated to a great and beloved story. We had been preparing for the interview for a long time and were anxiously awaiting the finale. To say it impressed us is nothing to say! We hope you haven't drowned in an ocean of fan tears after watching the last episodes of season 1 ;) and that you're ready to talk to us for a bit...

Hi! Very glad, thanks for inviting me! I'll allow myself a quick digression: I want to thank the administrators of this and other Theodora communities - your work is admirable 🤍

1) What are your impressions of the finale?

I'll just say that I love it. I'm happy with the work we did - it turned out just the way I imagined it would.

I have to be honest - I was afraid of the reaction from the fandom, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for a lot of negativity. But I was pleasantly surprised by the comments I got after the June update.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - thank you so much for your support!

2) Tell me about your mood. Fighting?

Right now I'm trying to learn how to approach work with proper patience, including myself. I'm trying to temper my perfectionism and desire to satisfy every reader - I realize that's impossible.

3) How is your work progressing? Where are you geographically at the moment?

I travel with my young man - Estonia, Turkey and Mexico behind me, and our journey continues :)

The work is going on steadily. We are trying very hard and hope to please you in August with quality chapters!

4) Do you read the theories on Theodora? Have the players been able to predict the plot?

Yes, I do! I love to see how people interpret the various hints I've left in the story.

5) Why did you choose Italy in the 1960s? What historical facts, media inspired you?

I just read articles and watched excerpts from movies - I haven't gotten around to whole movies or books about this period (at least not yet). There was no break between season one and season two, and I had to dive into the new time period in express mode.

The '60s were chosen for "logistical" reasons-it's somewhere in the middle between 1914 and 2019. I just like Italy for its architecture and special atmosphere.

6) Are you closer to the World War I theme or the one that will be in season two? What's easier to write and what's harder to write?

The 1960s is easier to write in terms of gathering information, because there are more articles about the everyday life of that era on the Internet.

I like both of these topics in their own way. When you get used to it and start to feel comfortable with what you're writing, the process is very exciting.

7) Was it morally hard to kill off your characters? How did you live those moments?

Sobbing, of course, how else :)

I became very attached to them, and thinking through and then writing out the character death scenes was like a knife to the heart. I felt like I had betrayed them or something... It was difficult, all in all, but I think it was worth it.

8) We noticed that Theodora had no children in her marriage. Is this related to immortality and will it be revealed later on?

We'll get to the question of children in the story.

9) Was the patron's name a reference to Lucien Lachance? Or was the translation from the French of more significance?

It wasn't a reference - I had no idea who Lucien Lachance was before the novella came out. I chose the name myself.

10) Tell how the characters in the story were created? Who appeared first? And it's very interesting to know which favorite appeared first.

John came first, and Lawrence was drawn first (because he appears before all the other favorites).

They all created themselves when I started writing :)

Of course, I did some preliminary work putting together the "skeleton," but a lot of the specifics came out along the way.

I'm not one of those authors who thinks up every little detail about a character and only then begins to write (this approach certainly has its place, it's just not for me). I'm used to "listening" to the characters as I go along, understanding their behavior in the various situations I put them in. Sometimes, I must admit, this gets in the way of the process, as I find it difficult to make a connection with one character or another.

11) How was the plot itself created? Did you first prescribe modernity and the already immortal Theodora, or did you go in chronological order, starting in 1914?

Everything was created in about the same order in which you see events in the story. When the backbone was done, I went through the story a second time round to get the ropes from the past into modernity.

12) Does it ever happen that you want to change something about an episode already after it's released? Are you always happy with the end result?

Of course it happens. We all make mistakes. For example, I regret that I chose the unfortunate mechanic of being able to bring Friedrich and Kurt together in the absence of a branch with the former.

But most of the time I'm happy with what comes out - I don't turn in a chapter until I'm sufficiently satisfied with what came out.

13) The third stat, Energy, finally appeared in this update. It seemed to many players that it carried a negative character. Is it acceptable to assume that we have an opportunity to go the way of the antagonist? Is it worth it to save it up?

Whether or not to save up is your choice. I don't want to reveal all the details, but I will say that this stat gives Theodora a power that may come in handy in the future. She won't get the antagonist's way.

14) Will the Energy stat be related to the Romance or Cynic stats?

No.

15) In the first episode of the second season we meet the mysterious Antonio. Will we see the development of a loving relationship with him? And will this branch be complete?

I made a decision not to divide branches into complete and incomplete - they either are or they aren't. I usually try to give all the favorites about the same amount of screen time.

There is a branch with Antonio.

16) Do the choices with embellishments left over from the favorites affect the story?

No, the choices just allow you to add jewelry to your 2019 closet.

17) How do you feel about adding branches with beloved characters at the request of players? Would you rather follow strictly your plans or would you be okay with going along with them?

I definitely wouldn't do anything that in my opinion could potentially hurt the story.

18) Would you like to create your own alternate/fantasy world or would you rather write about events in the real world, but with mystical elements?

I think I'm closer to realism with mystical elements. But who knows where I might end up in the future :)

19) We've already been lucky enough to see some great cutscenes in Theodore by you. Did you draw with your young man for the June update?

Yes! For the June update we drew Theodora's death, the scenes on the liner in the USA, the letter to my parents, Lawrence's death.

The novella begins with an interview with a mysterious patron of the arts. We couldn't get past this scene and decided to feel like our favorite Theodora. So we invite you to answer the questions Madame Fleming asked in her interview with Monsieur Lachance :)

"Why did you agree to be interviewed?"

Because I love you!

"Who is your favorite composer?"

Tchaikovsky, hehe.

"Who is your favorite painter?"

Ivan Aivazovsky.

"Who's your favorite writer?"

I don't know :D

I love the Russian classics, John Verdon, Agatha Christie, Carlos Ruiz Safon, Robert McCammon... But I haven't found one favorite author that leaves me absolutely thrilled yet.

Thank you so much for such detailed responses! We were happy to chat with you and look forward to the new Theodora series!"

[eurotastic]

Eurovision Reviews: Semi final 1 2022

It's Eurovision season again, wooooooooooooo!!!

1: Albania: Ronela Hajati - Sekret

This is a complete mess and I mean that as a compliment.

6/10

2: Latvia: Citi Zēni - Eat Your Salad

This song will have all of Europe screaming "PUSSY! at the same time, and we should all be grateful for that.

8/10

3: Lithuania: Monika Liu - Sentimentai

This song makes me think of a movie scene - the year is 1972, there's a smoky jazz club somewhere in Eastern Europe, and a spy is there for an important secret meeting with a local crime boss, and of course, while all this is happening, Monika is on stage singing this song. Someone probably gets shot at the end. The song just takes me away to another era, I guess.

7/10

4: Switzerland: Marius Bear - Boys Do Cry

I'm not one of those fans who automatically thinks ballads are boring, but I think ballads require an outstanding vocal performance and/or impressive staging, and/or a really unique performer to really work in the competition. This song has none of those things, so that makes it the most boring song of the year.

2/10

5: Slovenia: LPS - Disko

This would probably be really impressive at a high school talent show, but it's nowhere near good enough for the Eurovision stage. It's just amateur hour, these kids aren't ready for an audience this big.

2/10

6: Ukraine: Kalush Orchestra - Stefania

Nobody does it like Ukraine. Hip hop in Eurovision hasn't been too successful historically, but if any hip hop song ever stands a chance of winning it's this one, and that is because of its own merits in songwriting, production and staging, even without the massive wave of sympathy votes it would be a deserving winner.

10/10

7: Bulgaria: Intelligent Music Project - Intention

Some local dads are playing some songs at the local pub - their cover songs are alright, but once they announce that it's time for an original song, the audience runs for the hills.

3/10

8: Netherlands: S10 - De Diepte

"Dadadadadadada. Ooooooh. Aaaaaaaaah. Dadadadada." I think this song is absolutely beautiful, and I love hearing the Dutch language, but I wish it had a little more lyrical content and less repeated nonsense syllables. I'm just nitpicking though, this sounds really great.

8/10

9: Moldova: Zdob şi Zdub & Fraţii Advahov - Trenuleţul

I love Zdob si Zdub, and I have loved them for 17 years. Some of my readers haven't even been alive for that long ☠️ As a song, this is my favorite of their three entries - the Ramones reference is so much fun, and I actually really love the revamped version which adds some extra punk rock elements. With all this said, this is by far their weakest staging, so I'm worried about this song being their first NQ...

8/10

10: Portugal: Maro - Saudade, saudade

There's a very fine line between atmospheric and sleepy, and I'm not sure where this one falls.

5/10

11: Croatia: Mia Dimšić - Guilty Pleasure

I actually really enjoy this song, but I can't think of a single thing to say about it. It's cute but inoffensive, so it's going nowhere in the competition.

6/10

12: Denmark: Reddi - The Show

This is the most aggressively okay song of the year. It's fine, it's whatever.

5/10

13: Austria: LUM!X & Pia Maria - Halo

Are the kids bringing back 90s eurodance now? This sounds ridiculous, it's too fast, her singing is way too high pitched, and I would call the production horribly dated if it wasn't made by someone born in, like, 2003. There's always room for cheesy dance music in this competition, though.

5/10

14: Iceland: Systur - Með hækkandi sól

In recent years, I have come to expect a lot from Iceland, and this is a huge disappointment. It's the color beige in musical form, and don't get me wrong, I would definitely wear a nice beige linen shirt to the office, but I wouldn't wear it to Eurovision.

3/10

15: Greece: Amanda Tenfjord - Die Together

I love the a capella vocoder vibe this song has going in the beginning, but then it doesn't really go anywhere with it, it just becomes a beautiful but basic ballad. I wish the instrumentation felt more unconventional in the rest of the song, the dramatic ending feels a little bland. I'm nitpicking because this is a really good song which could have been great with some small changes.

8/10

16: Norway: Subwoolfer - Give That Wolf a Banana

It feels really weird when the biggest joke act of the year is also the most well made EDM song in recent eurovision memory. I wish they did much more with the staging though, it feels pretty underwhelming right now.

6/10

17: Armenia: Rosa Linn - Snap

I usually really hate this specific type of Lumineers-style acoustic guitar music but this one feels okay. I think I really like Rosa Linn as a singer, I just get a good vibe from her, so I can ignore how dull the production is on this song. The staging is probably one of the best of the year, so it gets bonus points for that.

6/10

[jazziehart]

Taylor Swift Albums Reviews

Hello my lovely blog readers,

I want to thank those of you who stick around through all my crazy rants and long Glee posts. You guys are the real MVPs and I will always appreciate you.

Anyway onto why we're here, in the wake of Taylor rereleasing her albums I found it fitting to take a look back at her discorgaphy so far! Thanks to my good friend Aly, I decided to relisten to all of her albums which the order was randomly decided. I will be talking about the deluxe editions so enjoy!

Let's start off with the first album that was drawn first which was Red.

One of my favorite albums right off the bat with probably her best album cover. I remember how excited I was for 22, mostly because my girl Dianna Agron's name was in the liner notes. Let's dive into what I thought now about 9 years later!

Favorite Track: Begin Again Least Favorite Track: The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody) Bonus Track I Wish was on the main album: All of them!!! Favorite Bonus Track: The Moment I Knew Album Ranking: 6th/9

Overall I adore this album so so much. The only track I didn't care for in the least was The Last Time. I think you'll find a trend with me that my least favorite Tayor tracks tend to be her duets (the exception being Everything Has Changed which is also on this album and is the purest of all). The album has held up and even moreso I love it than the first time I listened. Crazy. Anyway onto the rankings of each song. DISCLAIMER: These are just my opinions and you can disagree with them but please be respectful.

1) Begin Again 2) The Moment I Knew 3) State of Grace (Acoustic Version) 4) I Almost Do 5) Stay Stay Stay 6) All Too Well 7) Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran) 8) 22 9) Come Back...Be Here 10) Red 11) I Knew You Were Trouble 12) The Lucky One 13) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 14) Starlight 15) Girl at Home 16) Sad Beautiful Tragic 17) State of Grace 18) Holy Ground 19) Treacherous 20) The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody)

Honestly I adore this album so much as a whole and ranking every song was so hard. Holy Ground honestly had a lot of potiental I hated the arrangement but if I heard an acoustic version I would be sold, much like State of Grace which I wasn't huge on the original but the acoustic I'm obsessed with. Moving onto our second album which is one of Taylor's newest.

folklore! Funny enough on first listen I wasn't as into it as everyone else was but trust me, the relisten definitely helped me change my mind. I also heard the lakes for the first time which I loved. Since it's the only bonus track I'm going to say I definitely wished it had made the main album over some of the other songs on it. Let's dive into my thoughts and rankings.

Favorite Track: mad woman Least Favorite Track: invisible string Album Ranking: 9th/9

1) mad woman 2) the 1 3) the last great american dynasty 4) mirrorball 5) hoax 6) peace 7) seven 8) august 9) my tears richocet 10) the lakes 11) cardigan 12) betty 13) illicit affairs 14) epiphany 15) this is me trying 16) exile (featuring Bon Iver) 17) invisible string

Okay I know cardigan and betty being so low is going make people unhappy but honestly I just loved the other songs better listed above it. So many gorgeous songs and a great era for Taylor. It's not my favorite era and still falls in my lower half of her albums but I can appreciate the tracks on it more than I did before with the relisten.

Now onto Taylor's most recent album which came up next in our randomization in evermore

Unlike folklore on original listen I absolutely adored this album and had it in my top tier Taylor albums but will that opinion hold up? Let's find out.

Favorite Track: no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) Least Favorite Track: gold rush Favorite Bonus Track: it's time to go Album Ranking: 7th/9

1) no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) 2) happiness 3) champagne problems 4) willow 5) cowboy like me 6) dorothea 7) majorie 8) evermore (featuring Bon Iver) 9) closure 10) long story short 11) ‘tis the damn season 12) ivy 13) it’s time to go 14) coney island (featuring The National) 15) right where you left me 16) tolerate it 17) gold rush Okay let's talk about the relisten, it still held up but to me the one thing I didn't love about the album was the bonus tracks didn't add much to the original album so I kind of see why they were bonus tracks. I enjoyed the album none the less and I do think that most of my opinions are somewhat popular. I only see people being mad about 'tis the damn season being so low but honestly 1-11, I loved all the tracks so.

Up next is the rerelease that started it all, Fearless!

Now let's see after 13 years (hey Taylor's lucky number) if my opinion of this iconic album changed. Back in the day I was so obsessed with this album so let's see how I feel now!

Favorite Track: You're Not Sorry Least Favorite Track: The Way I Loved You Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Forever and Always (Piano Verison) and Come in with the Rain Favorite Bonus Track: Forever and Always (Piano Version) Album Ranking: 4th/9

1) You’re Not Sorry 2) White Horse 3) Love Story 4) You Belong with Me 5) Change 6) Forever and Always (Piano Version) 7) Fifteen 8) Hey Stephen 9) Come in with the Rain 10) Jump Then Fall 11) Fearless 12) Forever and Always 13) The Best Day 14) The Other Side of the Door 15) Breathe (featuring Colbie Cailaitt) 16) Untouchable 17) SuperStar 18) Tell Me Why 19) The Way I Loved You

I still remember when this album was first coming out how jazzed and excited I was for it. It was highly anticipated for me being that I had fallen in love with Taylor from her debut album and listening back it still holds up as one of my favorite albums. The only two tracks I wasn't into back then and still am not into are Tell Me Why and The Way I Loved You. Other than those two tracks the entire album is incredible to listen to. I'm so excited to hear Taylor's versions of all these songs and who knows maybe my mind will change on some of them.

Moving onto the next album to be randomly selected which is almost every Swiftie's favorite 1989.

Funny enough, originally this album isn't in my top favorites so who knows if my opinion will change on a relisten. Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Clean Least Favorite Track: I Wish You Would Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them?! Come on Taylor what's up with 1989 and Red having like some of their best tracks as bonus tracks. I'm mad haha. Favorite Bonus Track: Wonderland (gee I wonder why) Album Ranking: 5th/9

1) Clean 2) Wonderland 3) Wildest Dreams 4) This Love 5) You are in Love 6) Welcome to New York 7) Shake It Off 8) Blank Space 9) Bad Blood 10) Style 11) How You Get the Girl 12) Out of the Woods 13) New Romantics 14) I Know Places 15) All You Had to Do was Stay 16) I Wish You Would

Okay listening back. I now get the hype behind it. Listening to it with bonus tracks honestly makes all the difference. No joke. It's a much better album with the bonus tracks added. Honestly if Wonderland and You are in Love were on the main album it would've been top tier to me. Thank God for the deluxe version but team Taylor what is up with you hiding some of her best tracks and only releasing them on the bonus tracks? I'm mad. Also speaking on Wonderland, I adore the song even without the rumours of it being about my favorite celebrity Dianna Agron. Had the bonus tracks been on the main album it would higher but as a whole I love the album.

And now for our next album, which is reputation!

This is probably Taylor's most controversial albums, some love it and some hate it. I actually am somewhere in the middle. I love some of the tracks while others I could've done without. Let's see where it goes for me listening back.

Favorite Song: New Year's Day Least Favorite: Dancing with Our Hands Tied Album Ranking: 8th/9

1) New Year's Day 2) Gorgeous 3) Don’t Blame Me 4) This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things 5) I Did Something Bad 6) Dress 7) Delicate 8) Call It What You Want To 9) ...Ready for It? 10) Look What You Made Me Do 11) King of my Heart 12) Getaway Car 13) So It Goes... 14) End Game (featuring Ed Sheeran and Future) 15) Dancing with Our Hands Tied

Okay I feel like my choices here are controversal especially Getaway Car being pretty low on the album. Honestly I liked the song just wasn't into the hype that everyone else said about it, sorry you guys. Also Dancing with Our Hands Tied on the ALBUM is my least favorie song. I absolutely adored Taylor's acoustic version that was in the rep Tour. Had she released that on the album it would be after Look What You Made Me Do. The arrangement on the album I just didn't care for and I prefer acoustic Taylor which I think a lot of you gather from my top picks.

Anyway moving onto to our next album that was randomized which is...Taylor Swift!

Ah yes the album that started it all. 15 years ago I discovered Taylor Swift via this album thanks to CMT. I was a huge country music stan back in the day who knew how this one album would lead to a career I've been following for 15 years. Now how does this album hold up? Let's find out!

Favorite Song: Should've Said No Least Favorite Song: A Perfectly Good Heart Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Invisible and I'm Only Me When I'm with You Favorite Bonus Track: Invisible Album Ranking: 3rd/9

1) Should’ve Said No 2) Invisible 3) Cold as You 4) Picture to Burn 5) Our Song 6) The Outside 7) A Place in This World 8) Teardrops on My Guitar 9) Stay Beautiful 10) Tim McGraw 11) I’m Only Me When I’m with You 12) Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) 13) Tied Together with a Smile 14) A Perfectly Good Heart

This album still holds up 15 years later and made me so nostalgic. This had to be the hardest album for songs to rank thus far. Taylor hit it out of the park on her very first album crazy. She set the bar very high, funny enough it's the first album that a bonus track is my least favorite track but the entire album is a great listen, especially if you love country. It's very different from anything else Taylor did but that's what's so charming about it.

And now onto our second to last album which is another one of my favorites and the only album Taylor wrote fully on her own, Speak Now.

The album cover is up there with Red as my favorite and I'm excited to listen back to this album. I remember how much I enjoyed it when it was first released. Excited to see what I think 11 years later. Let's find out.

Favorite Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Least Favorite Track: Last Kiss Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them. Dang it Taylor they deserved to be on the main album. Favorite Bonus Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Album Ranking: 2nd/9

1) Haunted (Acoustic Version) 2) Long Live 3) Haunted 4) Better Than Revenge 5) Back to December (Acoustic Version) 6) Mine 7) Back to December 8) Mean 9) If This Was a Movie 10) Innocent 11) Dear John 12) Speak Now 13) Ours 14) Never Grow Up 15) The Story of Us 16) Superman 17) Enchanted 18) Sparks Fly 19) Last Kiss

One of Taylor's absolute best albms and it was incredibly hard to rank these songs. I know people are going to be mad about Enchanted being low but I just didn't love it as much as the other tracks on the album, this after all is one of the best albums she ever released so it's incredibly hard to make the call.

Moving onto our final album which I've called my absolute favorite, Lover.

It's only been an year since its release but will it hold up as my favorite album? Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince Least Favorite Track: It’s Nice to Have a Friend Album Ranking: 1st/9

1) Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince 2) Paper Rings 3) Lover 4) Soon You’ll Get Better (featuring The Chicks) 5) You Need to Calm Down 6) The Archer 7) The Man 8) Daylight 9) Afterglow 10) I Think He Knows 11) False God 12) Death by a Thousand Cuts 13) Cruel Summer 14) Cornelia Street 15) I Forgot That You Existed 16) ME! (featuring Brendan Urie from Panic! at the Disco) 17) London Boy 18) It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Yep it held up. This album is my favorite thing Taylor ever released. It was a tough call because I loved all of her top albums so much. Miss Americana still is my favorite performance which is no surprise, I was obsessed when this song came out 2 years ago. It's Nice to Have a Friend is the weakest track on the album but by no means is it a bad track. The entire album is a great listen all the way through, the only song that's hard to listen to especially if you have a sick parent "Soon You'll Get Better" I literally bawled after I finished it. So if you don't want an emotional song that might make you sad, it's best to skip it even though it's one of favorite tracks.

And that does it for us here. Hope you enjoyed my album reviews! Just to recap here's the rankings of all of Taylor's Albums:

1) Lover 2) Speak Now 3) Taylor Swift 4) Fearless 5) 1989 6) Red 7) evermore 8) reputation 9) folklore

Excited to see what's to come with the rerelease of Fearless and to hear the songs released from the vault. I've heard a few of her unreleased songs and honestly there are quite a few that I'm hoping are released. Thanks for enjoying us on this journey as always be kind and always spread love <3

[getawayky13]

Let me tell you a story...

Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift. I remember almost 11 years ago I was 8 or 9 or so I saw Taylor's first album sitting on the shelf at Target. I asked my dad if he would please buy it for me, I wanted to listen to this new artist I was getting into. My grandma sometimes played her music when I was over and I wanted to have the cd at my finger tips. I soon had learned every song on the cd, and I couldn't wait for the next one! 9 years old and so so pure and and innocent, just loving a singer and horribly singing along to "our song" I hadn't had any experience with pain or heartbreak I was just a kid. The real story doesn't begin until RED, but fearless and speak now both have great meanings for me too.

Fearless: fearless. when fearless came out I was literally OBSESSED with love story. I bought the platinum edition, and it had all those bonus songs on it but I only played love story on repeat for hour and days. I watched the music video over and over and over. I was still pretty young when this album came out. Still pure, innocent, whole. These songs weren't "relatable" then, just music that I loved.

Speak now: speak now. When speak now came out I had decided I wanted to go to that tour. I begged and finally they agreed to get tickets only to find they were sold out by the time we could get our hands on them. I was so sad I didn't get to go to the speak now tour. That was the era I finally had a friend who liked Taylor too. We bonded over "haunted" I was ending middle school and still nothing bad had happened to me. Who knew what a storm would be coming.

RED: RED. red was released my freshman year of high school. freshman year I was dating a junior. he was my first boyfriend. At that point I didn't realize just how fragile love was. Although maybe it wasn't love he never said he loved me but then again how could you say that in such a short amount of time? But how come it was so hard to let go? It was almost 4 years later, I finally let it go. I remember when we were together, we were texting and he said "what's one song you want me to listen to?" And I said "treacherous by Taylor Swift" and he said "ok I want you to listen to the a team by ed sheeran" we listened to the songs together then a few weeks later he broke up with me. After that treacherous was never the same for me even to this day I can't listen to it without it reminding me of him. He was my very first heart break. What a cruel thing to put a 15 year old through. Sophomore year came around and this guy was worse then the last. No didn't mean no to him. I lost so much innocence and purity at the age of 15, and I didn't really want that to happen. I was finally starting to understand lyrics and what it meant to want something that was so toxic to you. Why did you let him keep stringing you along just to break you like a promise every day? He hurt me in so many ways. He hurt me emotionally, mentally, in ways I couldn't even fathom. I'm happy to report I haven't seen him in a few years and I intend on keeping it that way. Also I didn't get to go to the red tour either.

1989: 1989. Junior year. Things started finally looking up. That's the only year of high school I didn't go through a heart break. (I was single all year) let me tell you about 1989. By this point I was determined, i jumped on the PRE-SALE and FINALLY got tickets to a Taylor Swift concert! Going to the 1989 tour was definitely one of the most fun nights of my entire life. At that point I was 17. I was getting ready to start my senior year of high school and the time between 1989 and reputation I would have 2 stupid relationships, lose two people who I thought were my best friends and start dating the love of my life. Relationship # 1 lasted a week and I really liked the guy but apparently he decided I wasn't good enough, in that amount of time and dumped me. Whatever. Relationship # 2 was a lot like my relationship sophomore year. I hated everything about it. He was too touchy touchy and didn't care where we were. I get freaked out talking about it. After that I didn't date again for a few months, then one of my ex-best friends set me up with this guy whom I'm still dating, we (plan) to get married. I really feel like he's the one! I realized after all the stress and frustration I've gone through, I've found my person and Taylor and her lyrics helped me through all the good times and the bad times. She's always been there. It's great knowing when maybe you don't really have any friends (well besides your boyfriend) you have taylor swift.

Reputation: reputation. Ok so rep isn't out yet but currently I'm 19, almost 20. Like I said before I'm dating the loml, we're going to see taylor dec 7th at the jingle bash in Chicago together! I know that when rep comes out I'll have a good story to tell about the album and where it fell in my life.❤️❤️❤️